]]>Welcome to the first installment of our “Beyond The Barrel” series, where we take a look at the people behind the scenes here at Anderson Valley Brewing Company.

Today we’re featuring Acacia Cooper, our R&D brewer. She’s primarily devoted to brewing our experimental/one-off beers such as Wee Geech, Centennial Pilsner, and Nettied Madge Black IPA, although some beers (such as El Steinber) have become year-round releases. She came to Anderson Valley in February 2012 after working at Standing Stone Brewing Co. in Ashland, OR.

Since winning the 2013 Glen Hay Falconer Foundation scholarship last December, she recently traveled to Vermont to complete the 22-week Intensive Brewing Science and Engineering course through the American Brewers Guild. When asked about the highlights of her trip she said:“The enthusiasm of all the participants, many of which have never worked for a brewery, was amazing. It was a great experience. Oh, and I got to try Heady Topper too.”

As far as her future plans, she hopes to continue advocating for aspiring brewers by hosting interns from the ABG and will soon be taking a welding class to increase her awesomeness. But our Steinber Kimmie wanted to get to know the real Acacia, so she sat down for an interview to answer some real tough questions…

If you could drink a beer with anybody (alive or from history), who would it be? Bonnie Parker.

If you could participate in an foreign exchange brewer program, what country would you brew in? Iceland.

What is your most memorable beer drinking experience? Oktoberfest at Snake River Brewing.

Finish this joke: A brewer and a winemaker walk into a bar… have some beers, and two brewers leave and go to the next brewpub.

Beer has been the muse of many intelligent people in history. What’s the smartest thing you’ve ever saidwith a beer in your hand? Guilt is a wasted emotion.

Anderson Valley and Wild Turkey will continue to work together in the coming months on a variety of exciting promotional opportunities to engage fans and introduce them to the quality and authenticity of Bourbon barrel-aged products. Anderson Valley Wild Turkey Bourbon Barrel Stout draft and bottle product will be available in 22 oz. bottles in several states including: California, New York, Oregon, Washington, Texas, Massachusetts, Colorado, Kentucky, Ohio, Florida, Virginia, Georgia, Pennsylvania, North Carolina and New Jersey amongst others by the end of June.

This once draft-only product was released in the fall 2012 as part of an exclusive partnership between Anderson Valley Brewing Company and Wild Turkey® Bourbon. As part of the partnership, Anderson Valley Brewing Company has been using repurposed American oak barrels from the famed bourbon brand’s Wild Turkey Distillery in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky, to age the award-winning Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout.

“The bourbon stout has been popular since its debut and is the result of a great partnership,” said Jimmy Russell, Wild Turkey Master Distiller. “Anderson Valley Brewing takes pride and care in crafting their beer; it’s similar to the approach we take with our bourbon. Together we produced a great craft beer and are excited to get it in the hands of more folks!”

“The partnership with the Bourbon Hall of Fame Russell family and Wild Turkey has been tremendously exciting,” said Trey White, Anderson Valley owner and CEO. “Collaboration on this bourbon stout is just the beginning. We look forward to continuing our relationship with the Russell’s and exploring new frontiers in barrel-aged craft beer.”

Anderson Valley’s Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout is aged to perfection for three months. The resulting beer is deep ebony in hue with a beautiful mahogany head, an aroma of fresh-baked bread, toffee, and espresso mingling with the woody vanilla notes of Bourbon whiskey and the rich roasted flavors wrapped with Bourbon.

Anderson Valley Brewing is constantly striving to excite and reach new consumers with high quality craft beer. Located in the bucolic Anderson Valley region of Mendocino County, California and founded in 1987, the Anderson Valley Brewing Company is a pioneer of the American craft brewing industry. An environmentally friendly, solar powered brewery, it produces highly respected craft beers including Boont Amber Ale®, Hop Ottin’ IPA®, Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout, Summer and Winter Solstice® and a wide array of specialty craft offerings ranging from Sour Stout to Mowkeef Saison to Gatlin Damnosus amongst many others.

About Campari America

Campari America is a wholly owned subsidiary of Davide Campari-Milano S.p.A. (Reuters CPRI.MI – Bloomberg CPR IM). At the heart of Campari America are two legends in the American spirits industry. The first, Skyy Spirits, was founded in San Francisco back in 1992 by the entrepreneur who invented iconic SKYY Vodka. The second is the world-famous Wild Turkey Distillery in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky, where they have been making the world’s finest whiskies since the 1800’s. Both companies were purchased by Davide Campari-Milano and together they form Campari America, which has built a portfolio unrivaled in its quality, innovation and style, making it a top choice among distributors, retailers and consumers. Campari America manages Gruppo Campari’s portfolio in the US with such leading brands as SKYY® Vodka, SKYY Infusions®, Campari®, Wild Turkey® Straight Kentucky Bourbon, American Honey®, Russell’s Reserve®, Glen Grant® Single Malt Scotch Whisky, Cabo Wabo® Tequila, Espolón® Tequila, Appleton® Estate Rum, Wray & Nephew® Rum, Coruba® Rum, Ouzo 12®, X-Rated® Fusion Liqueur®, Frangelico®, Cynar®, Carolans Irish Cream®, Irish Mist® Liqueur, Sagatiba® Cachaça and Jean-Marc XO Vodka®. Campari America is also the exclusive US distributor of Bowmore® Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky, Auchentoshan® Lowland Single Malt Scotch Whisky, Glen Garioch® Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky, McClelland’s® Single Malt Scotch Whisky, Flor de Caña® Rum, Midori® Melon Liqueur, Hibiki® Whisky, Hakushu® Single Malt Whisky, and The Yamazaki® Single Malt Whisky.

Davide Campari-Milano S.p.A., together with its affiliates (‘Gruppo Campari’), is a major player in the global beverage sector, trading in over 190 nations around the world with leading positions in Europe and the Americas. The Group was founded in 1860 and today is the sixth-largest player worldwide in the premium spirits industry. The Group’s portfolio, with over 50 brands, span spirits, the core business, wines and soft drinks. Internationally-renowned brands include Aperol, Appleton, Campari, Cinzano, SKYY Vodka and Wild Turkey. Headquartered in Sesto San Giovanni, Italy, Campari owns 14 plants and 4 wineries worldwide and has its own distribution network in 16 countries. The Group employs over 4,000 people. The shares of the parent company, Davide Campari-Milano S.p.A. (Reuters CPRI.MI – Bloomberg CPR IM), are listed on the Italian Stock Exchange since 2001. For more information: www.camparigroup.com

]]>https://avbc.com/anderson-valley-brewing-company-and-wild-turkey-bourbon-expand-bourbon-barrel-aged-craft-beer-distribution/feed/17Our Share Your Solstice Contest is underway!https://avbc.com/our-share-your-solstice-contest-is-underway/
https://avbc.com/our-share-your-solstice-contest-is-underway/#commentsTue, 13 Nov 2012 19:23:30 +0000SteveMillerhttp://www.avbc.com/main/blog/?p=477Would you like to win cool Anderson Valley swag like pint glasses, koozies, or even say… VIP tickets to the 2013 Boonville Beerfest? What if we told you it was as easy as sharing a photo or tweeting a story of how our Winter Solstice Seasonal Ale makes the holiday season a little better? Well, [...]

]]>Would you like to win cool Anderson Valley swag like pint glasses, koozies, or even say… VIP tickets to the 2013 Boonville Beerfest? What if we told you it was as easy as sharing a photo or tweeting a story of how our Winter Solstice Seasonal Ale makes the holiday season a little better?

Well, it really is that easy! We’re looking for unique photos and captions of how you’ll “Share Your Solstice” with others this year! Whether it’s a snapshot of you and a buddy enjoying a couple of cans after a long beer run, a group photo of the annual Thanksgiving family football game, or making S’mores around the fire, as long as it includes our Winter Solstice Seasonal Ale in some way, you can enter it! Simply upload directly to our Share Your Solstice Facebook Page, or share it via Instagram with the hashtag #ShareYourSolstice!

What about Twitter? Although a picture paints a 1000 words, sometimes the story behind the photo speaks volumes. Whether you fancy yourself a wordsmith or not, everyone has a story to tell. Tweet a tale of how Winter Solstice helps you cope with family reunions or the craziness of holiday shopping, add the hashtag #ShareYourSolstice, and you’re in like Flynn!

Each week, we’ll give away one Weekly Prize package that includes a VIP Brewery Certificate along with:

(1) Can Pint Glass

(1) Koozie

Then, after the conclusion of the Winter Solstice on Friday, December 21st, we’ll choose (1) winning entry for the Grand Prize package which includes (2) VIP tickets and Brewers campground passes for the 17th Annual Legendary Boonville Beerfest on May 4th, 2013!

For more details on the Grand Prize package and a complete list of rules, visit www.shareyoursolstice.com. Good luck and have fun this holiday season!

Steve Miller is the Steinber Kimmie (Beer Guy) and resident beer runner for Anderson Valley Brewing Company. Social Media, Sales and Marketing are a few of his favorite things. He’s also a pretty decent home brewer, gee-tar picker and disc golfer too. You can follow him @SteinberRunner on Twitter.

]]>https://avbc.com/our-share-your-solstice-contest-is-underway/feed/0New Fermenters for our Mendonesia pilot breweryhttps://avbc.com/new-fermenters-for-our-mendonesia-pilot-brewery/
https://avbc.com/new-fermenters-for-our-mendonesia-pilot-brewery/#commentsMon, 24 Sep 2012 17:32:30 +0000SteveMillerhttp://www.avbc.com/main/blog/?p=380Growing bigger by going smaller? We’re adding twelve 10hl fermenters to our new pilot brewery that is being built just outside our current brewhouse. This will allow our brewing team the flexibility to innovate and create new beers for our tasting room that just might become the next release in our Mendonesia series.

]]>Growing bigger by going smaller? We’re adding twelve 10hl fermenters to our new pilot brewery that is being built just outside our current brewhouse. This will allow our brewing team the flexibility to innovate and create new beers for our tasting room that just might become the next release in our Mendonesia series.

]]>https://avbc.com/new-fermenters-for-our-mendonesia-pilot-brewery/feed/0The Chicago Craft Beer Scene, Day 3https://avbc.com/the-chicago-craft-beer-scene-day-3/
https://avbc.com/the-chicago-craft-beer-scene-day-3/#commentsTue, 24 Jul 2012 15:12:08 +0000SteveMillerhttp://www.avbc.com/main/blog/?p=217Day 3 730am: It’s Friday the 13th. I step out into the morning sun and encounter Cuffey Dame and Jefferin’ Mink (Roxanne and Tara) on the sidewalk in front of the hotel, coffee in hand. Apparently, after Sheffield’s last night, Tara and Nettied Brightlighter (Ian) teamed up with Sarah to check out Chicago after hours [...]

730am: It’s Friday the 13th. I step out into the morning sun and encounter Cuffey Dame and Jefferin’ Mink (Roxanne and Tara) on the sidewalk in front of the hotel, coffee in hand. Apparently, after Sheffield’s last night, Tara and NettiedBrightlighter (Ian) teamed up with Sarah to check out Chicago after hours in search of more craft beer. One of the first places they hit up for some good ol’ fashioned drinkin’ food was the Wiener’s Circle. If you’re not familiar with this place, apparently it’s an institution…here’s a funny clip from the Conan O’ Brien show that gives you an idea.

Get the f#@k in line for your $#*! hot dog!

8am Sales meeting is a success. We’re told to meet at Wrigley Field at 1pm. Time for beer!

1130am I meet up on the 3rd floor of the Days Inn with Bill, Ian, Tara and Sarah to share the craft beers I had purchased from the day before, as well as a few selections the others had brought. We start things of with some Great Lakes Brewing CompanyDortmunder Lager and a line up of Sixpoint Brewing cans. The Apollo, Sweet Action, and Bengali Tiger were all well crafted and made us jealous of Chicago in the fact we can’t get these back home! The Frangelic Mountain Brown was very impressive–the rich body and hazelnut coffee flavor hid the ABV very well (I admit to drinking most of this while the others were getting ready). Sarah also cracks a bottle of the elusive Bell’s Hopslam (I visited over 20 different stores over the last 3 days and never found any) and we are all impressed with the big hop bite and overall balance. As I turn to pour the Hoppin’ Frog B.O.R.I.S, I notice that Brightlighter is tugging at his back pocket. In his wild escapades last night he’s torn a hole in his only pair of shorts. He then proceeds to tear off the entire back pocket, separating it from the shorts and leaving a gaping hole (nice boxers dude!) along the side. We all kind of laugh but that pales in comparison to what unfolds over the next 4 minutes. I wish I had pictures of this but imagine Bill transforming Ian’s only pair of remaining pants into cutoff shorts–while Ian is wearing them! I crack a joke about Ian’s San Francisco roots and give him two snaps up for ingenuity and both of them a verbal high-five for teamwork, cause that’s how we roll.

1215 It’s time to hit the streets and make our way to Wrigley Field. Even though it’s quite warm, we decide to walk. ”Do they allow beer on the streets of Chicago?” I ask the group. I always hope that every city outside of California is like Vegas and you can just have open containers in hand. I pour the rest of my B.O.R.I.S into a plastic hotel cup (covered by a Boonvillekoozie of course) and we head downstairs and are on our way.

1pm We’re at Wrigley Field! I’m not the biggest baseball fan in the world, but I respect the history of where I am right now. The scene is alive with fans and families bustling about…and I have my touristy moment and snap this picture to post on Instagram.

Take me out to the ballgame

We make our way to the Ron Santo statue as the rallying area to meet up with Trey and get our tickets. As we’re waiting around, the Chicago Cubs mascot “Billy Club” is walking around posing for pictures with various people. I start the debate with the group on who would win the battle between Barkley Boont and Billy Cub. At first it’s a no brainer: Barkley! But what if you gave Billy Cub a bat? That would level the playing field somewhat. I approach Billy Cub and ask him what he thinks as I tell him Barkley’s story and show him a picture. He shrugs his shoulders but as I press him further, he breaks the Mascot Code Of Silence and tells me to follow him on Facebook. I high-five him for the shameless social media plug.

Barkley could take him…

As the sky begins to turn from sunny to gray, we make our way into the stadium. Someone from Instagram tells us that when in Wrigley Field, we must have an Old Style. Well, I’m not going to argue with that! I make my way through the masses and finally find a draft station pouring it. I realize this is a craft beer blog but sometimes you gotta go with the flow. However, at $7 a pop, my cash flow would ensure this was the last Old Style of the day. I make my way back to the upper deck and join the rest of the team eating hot dogs and sippin’ domestic suds (we couldn’t find any craft beer).

Old Style before the storm

Did I mention that today was Friday the 13th? That it was the first time most of us had been to Wrigley Field? The forecast called for rain. We could see the thunderclouds coming. They started rolling the tarp out onto the field. No biggie, just a quick rain delay and we’ll get back into the action right? No such luck. The sky opened up. HARD. Lightning and thunder and rain, rain, rain. There were periods where it would lighten up, but after a while, we decided enough was enough and we had to give up on the game. I hailed the miracle of all taxis and we filled that van to the brim!

Gimme Shelter

4pm After we dry off at the hotel, we decided to meet up at Jakes Pub for some Summer Solstice cans and rally for dinner. Jake’s has a cool dive bar feel but boasts a pretty cool craft beer list in which I immediately noticed SixpointResin! I had been wanting to try this for a while, so I bought a few cans to share with the team along with some Revolution Brewing Double Fist. The dry-hopping in the Double Fist Pale Ale gives it such huge aroma and the forward lupulin bite of Resin satisfies our hop cravings for the time being.

6pm We have dinner at the World Famous Lou Malnati’s (this is not an understatement, the pizza is awesome!) for some great deep dish pizza and good conversations. It’s kind of sad to think that this time tomorrow, I’ll be back in California. I love being part of the Anderson Valley team and catching up with everyone over beers. But what am I talking about? The night is not over!

Mama Mia, that’s a big-uh pizza pie-uh

8pm-3am After dinner, we make our way to Blue Chicago as our final (group) watering hole for the evening. They’ve got several Anderson Valley beers by the bottle, so I go withBelk’s ESB and settle up to a table with Trey and his wife Laura. I’ve had such a great time and look forward to the next “destination” team meeting…Portland? Perhaps Seattle? We hang out for an hour or so, but several of us have early flights and decide to call it an evening. Ian, Tara, Roxanne and I take a taxi back to the hotel but close out the night at Michael Diversey’s and Matisse Tavern for Wild Turkey shots and a few beers. Friends and libations….what a great way to end our Chicago adventure.

Steve Miller is the Steinber Kimmie (Beer Guy) and resident beer runner for Anderson Valley Brewing Company. Social Media, Sales and Marketing are a few of his favorite things. He’s also a pretty decent home brewer, gee-tar picker and disc golfer too. You can follow him @SteinberRunner on Twitter.

]]>https://avbc.com/the-chicago-craft-beer-scene-day-3/feed/0Attending the Boonville Beer Festivalhttps://avbc.com/attending-the-boonville-beer-festival/
https://avbc.com/attending-the-boonville-beer-festival/#commentsThu, 12 Apr 2012 23:50:06 +0000MikeRileyhttp://www.avbc.com/main/blog/?p=87And once again the festival season is upon us. As one of the people that helps put on the Boonville Beer Festival and a hard core Beer Geek (or as I prefer to be called a socially challenged beer enthusiast), who better to give you a few tips on attending The Boonville Beer Festival. As [...]

]]>And once again the festival season is upon us. As one of the people that helps put on the Boonville Beer Festival and a hard core Beer Geek (or as I prefer to be called a socially challenged beer enthusiast), who better to give you a few tips on attending The Boonville Beer Festival.

As any boy scout will tell you preparation is everything. In this festive season there is no way to prepare for all eventualities, but, there are a few things that you can do to insure a more pleasant Boonville Beer Festival.

Lodging

The first and foremost of things to do is procure a safe and secure place of lodging. I’m not talking about that hedge behind the park like you found when you were 19, but a hotel, gasthaus, bed and breakfast or official camp site. This will be a home base for you. A place where you can safely store your stuff, meet your comrades and return to at the end of the day’s festivities. It will be a temporary sanctuary for you, a home away from home.

If you want a hotel room you need to make reservations yesterday. Boonville (and the Anderson Valley) is small and it has but a few lodging establishments and most of those sell out early. (check here: http://www.andersonvalley.org/ under lodging). There are inns as well as other options in the valley, check them all out – keep in mind that closer is better. Walking is always better than driving on this weekend.

I like Hendy Woods (http://www.yelp.com/biz/hendy-woods-state-park-philo) or Indian Creek. But the bulk of people camp at the Boonville County Fairgrounds next to the festival – it is close, convenient and it gives you ample opportunity to meet new people and make new friends (but be warned it is not quiet and peaceful like other campgrounds).

There is a free bus (donations welcome) that makes loops from the Beer Festival to Hendy Woods (and stops at all points needed in between) on the Saturday of the beer festival. And remember either walk or use a designated driver – because if you are intoxicated you almost certainly WILL get pulled over by the plethora of police that patrol the roads. And DUIs are not cool (in any way)

Getting There

For the lucky few: Boonville has an air strip (check here http://www.andersonvalley.org/ under airport). But for most of us this is not an option (since there are no commercial flights). Driving is your best option to get to Boonville. Be warned the roads are curvy, the shoulders narrow, the drop offs precipitous. Drive to conditions and bring Dramamine (esp if you are a passenger). There are Bus transports from SF: http://breweryadventures.com/boonville-beer-festival-transportation and there is also the Mendocino MTA bus service (http://www.4mta.org/). And there is ride sharing too – post your request on Craigslist or some such site – at the very least ridesharing will be interesting.

Eat food, not only during the celebration process but in the morning as well. The festival has food (and we have Slow Hand BBQ this year – 1st time ever) and there are a few good eating establishments in town (and a few “pop ups” on that weekend) but it is always a good idea to bring a little food of your own (you know, late night munchies, tent breakfast, snacks).

As we all know higher levels of alcohol consumption can deplete vitamins from your body. So …… pack lots of vitamins, especially the B-complex (brewer’s yeast supplement is a good source of B-complex). The best thing to do is to ingest your vitamin B-complex before you launch into your mission or at least before you go to bed. Drink lots of water throughout the day; at the festivities, at the end of the evening and upon waking.

Comfortable shoes and lots of clean socks; you are constantly on your feet at these events; talking, drinking, schmoozing, wandering about aimlessly. At the end of the day your dogs are gonna be hurting – unless you have some damn comfortable shoes. In addition there can be no overestimating the importance of clean socks. You may be hot, sweaty and spattered with swill. But if you slip your feet into a clean pair of socks your whole world changes, your total outlook on life is dramatically enhanced. No doubt about it – clean socks can make your day. A large supply aspirin will also make an excellent accompaniment for this outing.

Remember to pace yourself – this is a distance event

Etiquette

Right off the bat we need to get one thing straight. No howling - If you insist on participating in all that whooping & screaming you will instantly be branded as an amateur. You never see any of the really big, hard core, fest goers doing this howling foolishness. Examples: Garrett Oliver – never! Sam Calagione - never! Charlie Papazian – never! Why do you think the drinking age was raised to 21 anyway, it was because all the 19 year olds insisted on this howling & screaming nonsense! So cut the howling out or drinking age may get raised to 27.

Make new friends, the fest is filled with cool people and you all have at least one thing in common – beer, so introduce yourself and be friendly. Enjoy the music. The festival has multiple bands play throughout the day on multiple stages. These folks are here for you all to enjoy –give a listen, dance and be sure to clap.

There are a few other Emily Post considerations. No Intentional Glass Breaking or Glass Throwing – it is unacceptable behavior. No Dogs are allowed; at the Festival AND at the camp sites (so leave Rover at home for this weekend). No hitting – for any reason (hitting is uncool). No stealing of brewery signage or equipment (yah, you know who you are).

And should you run into a beer writer or brewer the proper thing to do is buy them several beers (and if at all possible take them out to dinner).

Fal Allen, brewmaster for Anderson Valley Brewing Company in Boonville, is currently quietly resting at home under medical supervision. He is not to be disturbed until it’s time to leave for The Boonville Beer Festival.